Do You Find Reviews on Travel Sites Helpful?

I generally have a lot of faith in travel reviews on sites like TripAdvisor.com, because I tend to trust what the consumers say versus the hotels. I just saw this amazing slideshow by Business Insider that compares the pictures that the hotels use for marketing to photos of what the actual hotel really looks like. The stark difference is the reason why I tend to gravitate towards the opinions of reviewers rather than the hotel's website. What about you — do you find the reviews helpful or they just a small perk?

I find them helpful, but I always make sure to read some statements, rather than just looking at the stars. Because sometimes there'll be some cranky person giving them one star just because the receptionist was on the phone for too long or things like that.